Özgür Özel Re-Elected CHP Chair at 39th Congress as Party Rallies Around “Road to Power” Message

Özgür Özel was re-elected unopposed as chair of Turkey’s main opposition party CHP at the party’s 39th Ordinary Congress, securing all 1,333 valid votes. It marks his fourth consecutive victory across two ordinary and two extraordinary congresses in the past two years. Both Özel and imprisoned Istanbul mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu delivered messages framing the congress as the launchpad for a historic push toward political power ahead of Turkey’s next general election.

Özel Wins Fourth Term With Full Delegate Support

CHP Chair Özgür Özel was re-elected leader on the second day of the party’s 39th Congress, winning all 1,333 valid votes as the sole candidate. The congress — held with a packed crowd at Ankara Sports Hall — was marked by intense party mobilisation, high turnout, and strong symbolic messaging.

This was the fourth time Özel has been elected chair in two years, reflecting his strengthened hold over the party following CHP’s rise to become Turkey’s largest political party after the March 2024 local elections.

In a highly charged address before the vote, Özel told delegates:

“I do not promise easy days until the next election. I promise struggle. I promise that we will fight and that, as the outcome of this struggle, I promise you power.”

Mass Participation and Strong Symbolism at Congress

The congress hall was filled early, with supporters waving Turkish flags and hanging banners from provincial organizations, youth wings, and CHP’s women’s branches. Several groups displayed large posters calling for the release of Ekrem İmamoğlu and other jailed CHP mayors.

Outside the venue, a truck emblazoned with “I want my candidate beside me and the ballot box in front of me” displayed the 25 million signatures collected for İmamoğlu’s release and an early election.

A major choreographed display on the tribune showed Özel, İmamoğlu and imprisoned CHP mayors holding torches in Anıtkabir, beneath the slogan: “No salvation alone — either all together or none of us.”

İmamoğlu Sends Message: “This Congress Paves the Way to Power”

A prerecorded message from imprisoned Istanbul mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu — presented using AI-assisted visuals — set the tone for the congress. İmamoğlu warned that those in power would try to block fair elections but insisted:

“We will not stop saying that sovereignty belongs unconditionally to the nation.”

Calling the congress the last major CHP gathering before national elections, İmamoğlu said:

“This congress lays the path that will carry CHP into power. Our country needs CHP in government.”

He emphasised democratic reform, the return to a strengthened parliamentary system, tackling economic hardships, fighting corruption, and expanding social welfare.

He also reiterated CHP’s support for the “Terrorsuz Türkiye” peace process, while insisting the party would pursue it in its own democratic, civilian language.

Özel’s Speech: “This Is Our Last Congress in Opposition”

In an hour-long address, Özel blended party history, organisational achievements, and a call to mobilisation:

• CHP had become the largest political party for the first time in 47 years.

• The party held 21 mass rallies, 72 resistance actions, and 208 field events in two years.

• Membership rose from 1.2 million to nearly 2 million.

Özel declared:

“This congress is our last in opposition. The 40th congress will be our first in government.”

He accused the ruling AKP of weaponising the judiciary, referring to appointments and recent arrests of CHP officials and trusteeships imposed on municipalities.

Özel reinforced his party’s unity around Ekrem İmamoğlu:

“İmamoğlu is our candidate — A plan, B plan, Z plan. If the Palace has a candidate, let them face us at the ballot box. Hodri meydan.”

Warnings Against Authoritarianism and Calls for Democratic Solidarity

Özel criticised what he described as the “deeply entrenched political order” resisting democratic change and called on all parties — including DEM Party — to reject political intimidation:

“Do not fall into Stockholm Syndrome. Do not fall in love with the executioner you escaped from.”

Addressing criticism over CHP’s decision not to send representatives to İmralı as part of the parliamentary commission, Özel said:

“Politics must be done with the consent of the nation, not through impositions. Our decision was constructive, not destructive.”

Mobilisation Ahead of Elections: “No Rest Until Victory”

Launching the party’s de facto election campaign, Özel said:

“I am not promising a rose garden. I promise endurance, resistance, and victory. Like 100 years ago, if needed we will risk everything — but we will not surrender.”

He called on supporters to join the “longest and hardest election marathon” until the vote, saying CHP is ready to “lead Turkey out of its darkest period.”

Unanimous Vote and Fourth Mandate

After speeches, Congress Chair Ayşe Ünlüce announced Özel as the only candidate. In the voting that followed, he received all 1,333 valid votes, securing his fourth mandate in two years.

Özel described the result as “a new beginning,” telling journalists:

“They ask how we are. We are as you know us — only more experienced at breaking stone and telling friend from foe.”

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